Diabetes

Analysis and Comment (22)

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Drinking one can of soft drink a day is linked to a 20% increase in the risk of developing diabetes. Damien Ayers

A soda a day keeps the doctor in pay: soft drinks and diabetes

By Bruce Neal, George Institute for Global Health

Recent research linking soft drinks to type 2 diabetes reminds us, once again, that we are what we put in our mouths. This large study from Europe found drinking a 12 ounce (about 355 ml) can of soft…
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The best way to prevent type 2 diabetes is to lose your excess fat. Image from shutterstock.com

Explainer: what is diabetes?

By Merlin Thomas, Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute

To keep your body functioning, glucose must always be present in your blood. It’s as important as oxygen in the air you breathe. The brain can only function for a few minutes without either before it stops…
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People with diabetes have a higher risk of developing emotional problems than the general population. sriram bala/Flickr

How psychological support can help people living with diabetes

By Jane Speight, Australian Centre for Behavioural Research in Diabetes; Christel Hendrieckx, Australian Centre for Behavioural Research in Diabetes, and Jessica L. Browne, Australian Centre for Behavioural Research in Diabetes

Medical advances are important but we believe the key to living successfully with diabetes is something else entirely. Paying attention to the behavioural and psychological aspects of the condition is…
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Many people die while waiting for dialysis, or after finding the daily visits to a dialysis unit impossible to manage. Michael Coghlan

Diabetes among Indigenous Australians at crisis point

By Neale Cohen, Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute

Diabetes rates in Australia are high but its prevalence in the Indigenous population is between three and four times higher than the rest of the population. And we are fast running out of time to stop…
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Rates of diabetes amputations have risen 30% over the past decade. justinicus

How Australia can reduce diabetes-related amputations

By Pete Lazzarini, Queensland University of Technology and Shan Bergin, Southern Health

Diabetes is arguably the nation’s greatest public health challenge, affecting over one million Australians. People with diabetes have high sugar levels in the blood which can damage nerves and blood vessels…
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Non-communicable diseases are the silent assassins in global health. Risk exposure begins in early childhood, and accumulates across the lifespan. michaelwhays

One year on, what has the UN meeting on non-communicable diseases achieved?

By Phillip Baker; Alessandro R Demaio, University of Copenhagen, and Rob Moodie, University of Melbourne

What causes two out of every three deaths in the world, has been described by the Director-General of the World Health Organisation as “a slow motion disaster” and by the Secretary-General of the UN a…
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We all know obesity increases our risk of chronic disease, but how does excess fat actually affect our body?

Explainer: how does excess weight cause disease?

By Joseph Proietto, University of Melbourne

OBESE NATION: It’s time to admit it – Australia is becoming an obese nation. Today we launch a series looking at how this has happened and, more importantly, what we can do to stop the obesity epidemic…
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Many people blame laziness and ready access to attractive, energy-dense foods for the obesity epidemic. modenadude/Flickr

Simple answers to the obesity epidemic block solutions

By Paul Zimmet, Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute

Like politics, football and global warming, obesity is a topic that attracts huge attention in the media as well as talk on the street and in coffee lounges. This is not surprising since it is the most…
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Oral diseases are a significant burden on many people. Tess Heder

How much is general health affected by oral health?

By Kaye Roberts-Thomson

Bad oral health can have a significant negative impact on people’s quality of life. It can also affect other diseases that they may be suffering. But whether oral ill-health causes general health problems…
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Chocolate can be good for you … in moderation. AAP

Are regular chocolate eaters really thinner?

By Justin Norrie, The Conversation

People who eat chocolate on a regular basis tend to be thinner, even when they do not exercise more often, a new study claims. But health experts have warned that the findings of the study, published…
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White rice has been a staple in Asian countries for centuries. EPA/Luong Thai Linh

White rice increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes

By Justin Norrie, The Conversation

Eating white rice on a regular basis could substantially increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to an assessment that reports a greater prevalence of the condition in Asian studies…
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No one goes to Paula Deen for health advice. Bristol Motor Speedway Dragway

In defence of Paula Deen, battered cheesecake and ‘food porn’

By Lauren Rosewarne, University of Melbourne

I’ll be completely up front. I love celebrity cook Paula Deen. I love the drawl, I love the finger licking, I love her ever-so-slightly inappropriate relationship with her sons. That time she described…
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You can use all kinds of iPhone apps to track and improve your health. chunghow33

Reviewing the top medical iPhone apps … what’s the diagnosis?

By Merlin Thomas, Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute; Daniel Quintana; Gary Sacks, Deakin University; Harrison Weisinger, Deakin University; Karen Simmer, University of Western Australia; Nasser Dhim; Neale Cohen, Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute, and Sally Ferguson

Want to quit smoking, lose weight, manage your diabetes or get a good night’s sleep? No worries. There’s an app for all of that. But it’s not always clear which medical apps are based on solid evidence…
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Bariatric surgery has a dramatic effect on diabetes and other heart disease risk factors. Bariatric Solutions/www.mybariatricsolutions.com

Bariatric surgery: new paradigm in type 2 diabetes management?

By Paul Zimmet, Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute

Type 2 diabetes is the fastest growing epidemic worldwide. By 2020, it is expected to be the number one disease in Australia in men and second only to breast cancer in women. Treating this illness has…
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Psammomys obesus or the Israeli sand rat provides an insight into how the thrifty gene hypothesis may work. Tino Strauss

Explainer: Diabetes and obesity – the biggest epidemic in human history

By Paul Zimmet, Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute

In the last few decades, the number of people with diabetes has more than doubled globally, making the combination of type 2 diabetes and obesity (known as diabesity) the largest epidemic the world has…
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Keeping weight off is much harder than losing weight in the first instance. AAP

Weighing up the options on obesity

By Michael Cowley, Monash University; Paul O'Brien, Monash University, and Wendy Brown, Monash University

Prevention is the cornerstone of society’s response to the current obesity epidemic. But even if no more people were to gain much more weight, those who are already obese face serious health problems…
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Mentally ill Australians have a life expectancy 25 years lower than the rest of the population. AAP

Mental illness is no excuse for turning a blind eye to smoking

By Sharon Lawn, Flinders University

Almost half of all cigarettes smoked in Australia, the US and the UK are smoked by people with a mental illness. It’s a startling statistic and it paints a grim picture for the physical health of the one…
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Even modest weight loss can reduce your risk of developing diabetes. Anya Quinn

Preventing diabetes with the right diet

By Peter Clifton, University of South Australia

We’ve come a long way in our understanding of diabetes over the past few decades. Rather than cutting down on sugar, the prevention and management of diabetes hinges on weight control and a balanced diet…

Research and News (9)

Research Briefs (26)

High sugar levels come at a cost to health

University of Washington and Boston University

New research suggests that more sugar in the body could damage the elastic proteins that help the body breathe and pump blood…

Using vitamin D in pre-diabetic teens

University of Missouri

Researchers have trialled vitamin D supplements as a means of managing blood sugar in obese teenagers. The study compared…

Diabetes could be naturally reversed

Cell Metabolism

A naturally produced compound similar to a daily vitamin could be used to treat and prevent diabetes. Researchers have been…

Doing your nut helps diabetes

University of Toronto

Eating nuts helps control diabetes and prevents some consequences of the condition, according to University of Toronto researchers…

A strawberry a day keeps the doctor away

Salk Institute for Biological Studies

Fisetin, a naturally-occurring flavonoid found mostly in strawberries, lessens complications associated with diabetes, according…

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